Packable, Wireless Headphones for the Road

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I spend a lot of time in airports and on the road during the winter, and while I’m a pretty efficient packer, it’s not easy to travel light when you’re going to the mountains. Skis, boots, bulky layers, helmet, plus my computer… fitting it all without feeling like my bags are packed to capacity means I usually travel with my flimsy iPhone headphones instead of a bigger, better-sounding over-ear pair. And even though earbuds are easier to pack, when that toddler in 16E starts crying, I always regret it.

However, Skullcandy’s newly designed Hesh 3 Wireless Headphone offers a solution. Multi-direction hinges collapse these full-featured, over-ear headphone into a small, flat package that I can easily slip into the front pocket of my favorite pack. They’re also super lightweight, so wearing them doesn’t feel bulky, and packing them is a no-brainer. Because the Hesh 3 headphones are designed to be packable, I wish they came with a small travel bag or something to store them in, especially because the ear pads are so soft. The memory foam pads are great for comfort, but I get nervous they could tear in my bag if they got snagged on something.

Just fold and go. PHOTO: Brian Davis

The ear pads do a great job at keeping unwanted sound out, however, which makes the high sound quality of these 40mm driver headphones even easier to appreciate. I’ve even worn these just to cancel noise when I need to focus at work—no music necessary. When I do want to tune in, unlike my iPhone buds which have an 8mm driver, I don’t have to crank the volume to the limit in order to hear my music over the lull of a plane or that grumpy toddler in 16E. I’m hoping this helps to stave off old-person deafness a little longer.

The Bluetooh feature is easy to sync right out of the box, and when fully charged the Hesh 3 will play wirelessly for 22 hours. If you just need a quick boost before boarding your next flight, a 10-minute charge with the included USB cable will give you four hours of use (likely my favorite feature about these headphones). There’s also a headphone jack chord included with these in case your battery runs out and you need to go old school.